| One in every 10 babies born in the U.S. is admitted to a newborn intensive care unit (NICU) because of premature birth or another medical condition. Having a baby hospitalized in a NICU can be frightening, confusing and overwhelming for parents. In conjunction with its national Prematurity Campaign, the March of Dimes has developed NICU Family Support to provide information and comfort to those families in crisis.
Guided by former NICU families, the program is built on a family-centered philosophy and is implemented nationwide through March of Dimes chapters. It addresses the needs of parents, siblings, grandparents and the extended family throughout the hospitalization, during the transition home and in the event of a newborn death. NICU Family Support also includes a professional development component that provides NICU staff with educational opportunities to help them sensitively support families on a daily basis. Our NICU families web site http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurity/index_nicu.asp offers 24-hour access to information, resources and online communities.
The Rhode Island NICU Family Support Program at Women and Infants’ Hospital in Providence, RI is sponsored locally by CVS Caremark Charitable Trust and Women & Infants’ Hospital. We are extremely grateful to our sponsors for making this program possible.
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